Hi guys,
I've been a lurker for a while, but never really posted. Really looking for some advice on my brake situation. I'll try to be brief. This is for a 2012 Ford Edge SEL EcoBoost.
A. 2012-2013 - Brake booster goes bad. Replaced under warranty.
B. 2017 November - Brake pedal goes all the way to the floor when driving it. Still have brake power though.
C. 2017 December - Dealer #1 in town says master cylinder is bad and brake booster is not. They want to replace booster anyway (under warranty). Master cylinder not going to be covered. Booster is replaced, problem not resolved; pedal still goes to floor but has stopping power. No more confidence in these guys since they were replacing parts they stated were not defective.
D. 2018 January - Driving home, pedal magically now behaving like normal. Normal engagement, everything feels like I was accustomed to it.
E. 2018 May - Coming down a hill while using brakes. Hit a bump and pedal goes to floor while braking, but still have stopping power (almost crapped my pants too, but that's beside the point).
F. 2018 early June - Take it to a local mom-n-pop shop under recommendation from a buddy who is a wrecker and said they were honest. They say master cylinder is bad. I agree to replace it. They drip brake fluid into the booster at this time and booster has to get replaced. They admit problem doesn't seem to be fixed, and don't charge me for it. They state the only thing they see it could be is the line to the ABS box requires a computer-controlled bleed, which their computer couldn't do. Say I have to take it elsewhere, but haven't charged me anything.
G. 2018 mid June - New problem introduced. Brakes now spongy as all hell, but still go to the floor and still have stopping power. Now having throttle issues where acceleration cuts out on me unless I gun the engine and cruise control will not let me set a speed and actually cruise (though it turns on). I also notice that if I put my foot under the brake pedal and lift, it comes up about 1/4" and cruise will now work properly at that point. Gas mileage gauge also seems to show a 2-4 mpg increase on a slight uphill when I lift the pedal. Every application of the brake requires the lift to use cruise.
H. 2018 late June - Mom-n-pop shop replaces brake switch. Doesn't fix the lift-to-cruise problem. Dude tweaks some stuff at the pedal. Can now use cruise, but all indications seem to be brakes still engaging as mentioned in G.
I. 2018 late June - Car taken to smaller dealer (Dealer #2) in next town over. They bleed the ABS box but no fix. They say the only thing they can see it being is the hydraulic control unit. They replace it. I have normal power brakes again, but pedal travel distance until brake engagement seems inconsistent sometimes. Lift-for-cruise-control problem still present. Subjectively, it also seemed like the car is having to rev harder and it seemed like lifting the pedal would make it sound/feel like what I thought I remembered as normal. Gas mileage gauge also seems to show a 2-4 mpg increase on a slight uphill when I lift the pedal.
J. 2018 early July - Taken back to Dealer #2. They adjust brake switch and fix cruise issue. They also state the right front caliper is locking up. They replace it.
K. Present - I just got it back today. Cruise indeed seems to be fixed. Car doesn't always seem to be revving harder, but sometimes I think it is. I notice I can still lift the pedal that last 1/4" and in one place, it looked like that gave me that small mpg increase mentioned earlier. Only replicated that one time out of a handful though.
I'm not sure what to do next. I'm living on student loans and can't keep shelling out money for this. I'm not even sure I remember what normal feels like anymore. I also don't know if that last 1/4" I can lift the pedal was always there or not (does anybody else's do this?). I just know I'm losing a lot of money and don't know what else to do. Thanks for any advice.
Edited to add a missing fact.